Brief U.S. 34 closure west of Loveland will allow bridge to be rebuilt

Idlewild Lane span in Big Thompson Canyon was damaged in the flood

By Craig Young Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
01/28/2014 05:49:04 PM MST

Updated:
01/29/2014 12:09:19 AM MST

Kiewit Corp. employees work Tuesday at the Idylwilde Dam construction site in the Big Thompson Canyon west of Loveland. Late Wednesday, U.S. 34 will close near Idylwilde to allow for placement of a bridge across the river to private properties.
(
Steve Stoner
)

The closure of U.S. 34 for six hours Wednesday night undoubtedly will inconvenience some drivers, but for the residents of Idlewild Lane in the Big Thompson Canyon, it will be a godsend.

When the flooding Big Thompson River raged down the canyon in September, it destroyed or damaged several bridges, including the span connecting Idlewild Lane to U.S. 34.

The bridge is below Drake, between Viestenz-Smith Park and the site of the former Idylwilde Dam, which was damaged in the flood and has been removed.

"The girders were damaged when the water came up," Larimer County senior construction manager Todd Juergens said. "They were impacted by logs and rocks."

So crews will take out the damaged girders Wednesday night and put in two new ones, basically replacing the bridge superstructure.

The deck on which vehicles drive is integrated into the girders, Juergens explained, so putting in place the two new structures will create a one-lane, 12-foot-wide bridge.

To swing in the 50-foot-long, 55,000-pound concrete girders, workers will need a 250-ton hydraulic crane and some elbow room.

So a short stretch of the highway will be barricaded from 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, to 3 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 30. The bridge itself will be closed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Juergens said the bridge, which provides the only access to the homes on Idlewild Lane and Big Thompson Canyon Road, has been open, but it's limited to vehicles weighing 3 tons or less. That rules out propane delivery trucks and septic trucks.

"So people can't really live at their homes," he said.

The rebuilt bridge will be rated for tandem-axle trucks up to 27 tons and truck-and-trailer rigs of 42.5 tons, he said.

Flood Information Open House

Before the highway is closed Wednesday, Larimer County is hoping residents of the canyon and other areas affected by the flooding will attend an open house in Loveland to learn about recovery efforts.

According to a press release from the county, the event will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Chilson Senior Center, 700 E. Fourth St.